The Bruins have the cap space to make a big move this offseason to help improve their roster.
Might they go after Mitch Marner?
Marner, who has spent his entire nine-year career with Boston’s rival Maple Leafs, is set to hit free agency on July 1. The free agent class this summer isn’t as flashy as in previous years, and Marner will be one of the biggest names out there.
Marner’s future in Toronto is unknown and it’s likely he’ll garner plenty of interest from other teams.
Here’s how The Athletic’s James Mirtle explained Boston’s chances of signing Marner.
“It was certainly a lost season in Boston this year, but do they try and pull a Capitals and retool quickly? Between David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman, they have a lot of strong pieces in place, so scorched earth doesn’t seem like the way to go. It would be a bit of a heel turn for Marner, given they’re such a big rival in the division, but I don’t think we can rule it out entirely just on that basis. They certainly have the cap room after their big sell-off before the deadline.”
The Bruins are coming off a disappointing 33-39-10 record during a season in which they fired their coach Jim Montgomery in November and missed the playoffs for the first time in 2016.
General manager Don Sweeney said in April the Bruins had a need for more scoring and Marner would certainly help address that. The forward has had at least 20 goals in the previous five seasons — hitting the 30-goal mark twice in that span.
The Bruins are expected to have around $28 million in cap space this summer.
